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Lambda Legal, the MacArthur Justice Center and law firm Shook, Hardy & Bacon sued the Missouri Department of Corrections (“MODOC”) on behalf of Jane Roe, a formerly incarcerated transgender woman living with HIV, who was put in solitary confinement for over six years between 2015 and 2021, while held at the Jefferson City Correctional Center (JCCC) due to an unconstitutional and discriminatory policy against people living with HIV.  

The lawsuit asserts that MODOC’s policy on incarcerated people living with HIV lacks any consideration of modern medicine and does not engage in individualized assessments. In holding Ms. Roe in solitary confinement because of her HIV status without meaningful review, MODOC violated the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Ms. Roe is seeking that the policy with respect to people living with HIV be enjoined, monetary damages, and other relief.